Sigv ErfÓl 8I/7 — bjarta ‘the bright’
Ǫld vann Ôleifr fellda
(ǫflgan sigr) inn digri
(gekk sóknþorinn sœkja
synjór framm í brynju).
En, þeirs austan nenna,
— óx hildr — með gram mildum
— mart segik bert — í bjarta
blóðrǫst Svíar óðu.
Ôleifr inn digri vann fellda ǫld; sóknþorinn synjór gekk framm í brynju sœkja ǫflgan sigr. En Svíar, þeirs nenna austan, óðu í bjarta blóðrǫst með mildum gram; hildr óx; segik mart bert.
Óláfr inn digri (‘the Stout’) cut down men; the battle-daring seigneur advanced in his mail-shirt to seek a powerful victory. And the Swedes, who travel from the east, waded into the bright current of blood alongside the gracious prince; battle intensified; I say much plainly.
readings
[7] bjarta: ‘bjartu’ 73aˣ, hjarta 325VII
notes
[7-8] bjarta blóðrǫst ‘the bright current of blood’: Although kenning-like, this phrase has no real parallels. Battle-kennings with a base-word meaning ‘stream’ (cf. vápnrǫst ‘weapon-current’ in the C13th Anon (Stu) 43/2IV) do not have ‘blood’ as their determinant (Meissner 199-200), while those with ‘blood’ as their determinant have a word meaning ‘storm’ as their base-word (Meissner 186).